The Prime Minister should apologise for misleading the country about the Ministry of Social Development’s interactions with homeless people in south Auckland, the Green Party said today. “John’s Key’s attempt to distract New Zealanders from the Government’s housing failures has threatened the great work that the Salvation Army does with homeless families,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “He went out of his way to try to make these homeless people look bad by saying they declined Government help –...

New research showing a jump in homelessness in New Zealand is a sign that the Government’s current approach to the issue is failing, the Green Party said today. The University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) study reveals that between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, the number of New Zealanders who are “severely housing deprived” increased from 33,295 to 41,705. The figures do not include people living in emergency accommodation such as night shelters, and do not take into account the three...

The Green Party is calling on National to get smart on crime and invest more in rehabilitation services to help reduce re-offending.

The Government’s National Policy Statement (NPS) on urban development is good in theory, but won’t build the affordable houses Aucklanders are crying out for, the Green Party said today. “Aucklanders need more homes now, as well as good blueprints for how to build neighbourhoods in the future,” said Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “New Zealanders are looking to the Government for solutions to the housing crisis, and all they’re seeing today is Nick Smith waving a planning document...

The Green Party is welcoming the long awaited start to construction of the City Rail Link (CRL) today as the first step to creating a faster and cleaner transport system in Auckland. “The CRL is great for Auckland and shows what can be done when people get behind a transformative project,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “Aucklanders don’t want to spend their time sitting in traffic jams, and we know that better investment in rail, bus, cycling,...

The Government must cancel plans to open seven more charter schools, as serious concerns are raised about the results of those schools already opened, the Green Party said today. Most of the annual reports of the Partnership Schools already opened have been published today. The reports have been criticised for not providing information that’s comparable with state schools, including roll-based results for NCEA. Some schools had unacceptably high rates of suspensions and expulsions, and about half failed to meet all...

The decision to cancel surveys of endangered humpback whales in the Cook Strait this year shows National’s reliance on corporate sponsorship for conservation is failing our endangered species, the Green Party said today. The Department of Conservation (DOC) acknowledged today that a survey of humpback whales will not take place this year, after oil and gas exploration company OMV New Zealand decided to pull funding for the project. "Relying on corporate goodwill to protect our endangered and threatened species means...

The Green Party is calling on ACC Minister Nikki Kaye to remove the obligation for sexual violence survivors to be diagnosed with a mental illness before being allowed additional ACC-funded counselling. Green Party MP Jan Logie and survivor advocate Louise Nicholas today launched a new campaign and petition to demand that survivors don’t need a mental illness diagnosis in order to have their sensitive claims proceed. “Being the victim of sexual violence is not a mental illness,” Ms Logie said....

National needs to admit it has cut funding to the Department of Conservation (DOC), rather than spin the facts and hide from its decision to claw back core conservation funding, the Green Party said today.

The Freshwater Improvement Fund of just $10 million a year is a drop in the bucket of what is needed to make our rivers safe for swimming, the Green Party said today. “The Waikato River will need between $3 billion and $8 billion alone to clean it up. Nearly $36 million has gone into cleaning up Lake Taupō from the Government alone. Billions of dollars are needed to clean up waterways damaged by dairy intensification, sewage, and industrial and urban...